Ashley Cole (Chelsea, LB): goal, assist, three league points, 45 minutes played.
“The best left back in the world” according to Alan Shearer, Cole scored one of the goals of the season in the 7-2 victory over Sunderland, deftly controlling John Terry’s pass, stepping inside a defender’s challenge and beating Martin Fulop – then setting up a goal for Frank Lampard for good measure. A clean sheet and a full 90 minutes would have been nice – Cole was forced off at half-time with an injury – but you can’t have everything.
Boaz Myhill (Hull City, GK): clean sheet, one league point, 90 minutes played.
The Wales goalkeeper stood almost single-handedly between Tottenham Hotspur and two more points in Saturday’s goalless draw at White Hart Lane, making a series of blocks to deny most of the Spurs forwards. Unfortunately, he may not be a good long-term investment for your team, as Hull will probably win less than their share of league points, and days such as Saturday’s are usually once-in-a-lifetime occasions.
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, CM): goal, three league points, 90 minutes played.
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Fabregas scored his 10th league goal of the season, and his fourth in three games on his return to the Arsenal first team after injury. He is in the most prolific goalscoring form of his career – he had only previously scored 17 league goals - which only adds to the value of an elite fantasy player who will score well in assists and league points gained.
Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers, CB): goal, clean sheet, three league points, 90 minutes played.
The Kiwi central defender touched home Benni McCarthy’s free kick to seal Blackburn’s 2-0 victory over Fulham – an overdue victory for Rovers. Three of Nelsen’s four league goals for Blackburn have come this season, and the management style of Sam Allardyce could mean that more set-piece goals could be on the way. Just don’t expect too many clean sheets or league points, though.
Steven Pienaar (Everton, RM): goal, three league points, 90 minutes played.
The South Africa attacker scored his third goal in the past four matches with a well-judged free kick against Manchester City. With the World Cup in his home country at the end of the season, the energetic winger has every motivation to have a memorable season, and Everton are hitting form – so there should be plenty of league points for managers with Pienaar in their PlayTheGame squad.